Musical instrument



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR R\\\\ IIA-Hbsch/e BY m M w ATTORNEYS F A HOSCHKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 6, 1954 Sept. 17, 1935.

Sept. 17, 1935. A HOSCHKE 2,015,014

MUS ICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v g 4 4 R i m f g gke' ATTORN EYS MQQL W Patented Sept. 17, 1935 it f E UNlTED S PATENT OFFICE ll Claims.

My invention relates to a musical instrument in which a microphone circuit and an amplifying circuit are used, but by which the music is produced, as distinguished from the reproduction of music produced externally and away from the microphone, as is the case of the conventional condenser microphone.

The invention makes use of reeds such as those used in reed organs. Many attempts are being made to pick up reed organ music with an ordinary radio studio microphone, running it through a gain amplifier and delivering to the listener through a speaker or speakers. This system has its faults since the results are directly proporup in equal intensity all the frequencies of the reed organ, and the result after all is merely amplified reed organ music.

An object of my invention is to provide a device for producing music by means of reeds which will not have the characteristics of ordinary amplified reed organ sounds, but in which the reed tones will be converted to predetermined and pleasing qualities.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described, in which the conversion of these tone qualities, as distinguished from mere amplification, is accomplished in a microphone circuit by simple apparatus which is easily adjustable to produce an almost infinite variety of tone qualities, thus giving an extended range of selection.

' A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the characteristic tone of an ordinary reed may be so modulated as to simulate the tone of other instruments, such as the string of a violin, the sound of a flute, a French horn, a trumpet, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for modulating the reed tone, in which certain undesirable overtones may be suppressed or weakened, while other overtones may be augmerited to produce the effect desired.

A further object is to produce a device for accomplishing the objects above stated which is simple in construction and which therefore can be produced at a relatively small cost.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which:---

Figure l'is a section through a portion of the tional to the ability of the microphone to pick device showing a suction wind chest, reeds operated thereby and individually adjustable members on a condenser plate.

Figure 2 is a sectional view at right angles along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, in connection with 5 a condenser circuit and an amplifier circuit.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a modified form of the device.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of Fig. 3..

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are edge views of prevoiced reeds.

Figure 9 is an edge view of a modified form of modulating device.

Figure 10 is another form for modulating the vibration of a reed, and,

Figure 11 is another modified form.

In carrying out my invention I make use of certain structure which is to be found in the ordinary reed organ. Thus in Fig. 1 I have shown a suction wind chest I and a reservoir or wind pressure regulator 2, having openings 3 for suitable suction wind supply. Pouches 4 control ducts to leading to reeds 6. These reeds are mounted on frames 1. Underneath the frames is a metallic strip or conductor 8 which connects the reeds.

These reeds form one side or plate of a microphone condenser. The opposite side or plate is formed by a. supporting and conducting member 9, whichbears a series of adjustable screws Hi 39 that may be moved toward or away from the reed with which it is associated. In Fig. 2 it will be seen that each reed may have, associated therewith, a plurality of adjustable screws it which are arranged longitudinally of the reed. As will be observed from Fig. 2, the member 9, and hence the screws I0 which form part of the condenser, are connected by means of the conductor H with the grid l2 of a 56 type tube of a three stage amplifier. The reeds are connected by the conductor l3 with the battery B.

As is well known, a reed when sounded vibrates as a whole to give forth its fundamental tone and it also has segmental vibrations which give the overtones, and this determines the quality of the sound. The arrangement described thus far forms a means for modifying the vibrations which would ordinarily produce the overtones, so that the effect as given by the loud speaker may be a tone which is not recognizable as that of a reed, such as a. violin tone, a flute tone, etc. This is accomplished by varying the distance of the adjustable screws so as to vary the capacitance of the condenser. In Fig. 2 I have shown a plurality of screws for producing this modified effect, but it 55 will be understood that even one screw suitably placed and adjusted is capable of producing a tone of different quality than that given out by a reed in which the characteristic quality of sound is merely augmented or amplified.

In forming a musical instrument of a series oi. reeds forming one side of a microphone condenser, I make use of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, as described, in which the pouches 4 are manually actuated by a key-board not shown. This key-board is the ordinary pipe organ key-board and the wind suction isproduced when the key is operated to uncover the ducts 5. The vibration of the reed as modified by the adjustment of the extension screws of the plate 9 will produce on the grid a diflerent charge effect from that which is ordinarily produced where the reed is placed externally before a microphone, as with the use of the conventional condenser microphone.

In connection with this 56 type tube and the B voltage B of the condenser circuit, I make use of two other stages of amplification, as indicated at II and III, stage II employing two 56 type pushpull tubes and stage III employing two 2A3 type. T indicates an input push-pull transformer, T an interstage push-pull transformer, and T an output impedance matching transformer having terminals H and I5 leading to loud speakers not shown.

It will be understood that the circuit which I have illustrated here is simply typical, and while it is the preferred arrangement, it is simply given as an example, since other amplifying cir-- cuits might be used to carry out the invention, the main invention lying, asstated before, in the provision of a reed as one side of a condenser in a microphone circuit, with the adjustment of the other plate as described.

While the apparatus set forth in Figs. 1 and 2 is my preferred form, I have found that the use of only one screw may be effective in producing tones that are highly desirable, and I have also found that in some instances only a slight shifting of the screw longitudinally of the reed will cause a change which can be readily detected. For the purpose of making a delicate adjustment, I may use the construction set forth in Figs. 3 and 4. In these figures the reeds 6 are carried by reed frame 1 as in Figs. 1 and 2, while disposed above the reeds is a plate 9 slotted to provide runways for slidable screw carriers l6. These screw carriers are provided with set screws H which may be loosened to permit the carrier l6, together with the adjustable screw Hi to be moved longitudinally with respect to the reed 6 and then to be clamped by means of the set screw in its adjusted position. This construction permits a very delicate adjustment, since the screws H] can be set at any position over the reed. Obviously more than one carrier could be used for each reed if desired.

The invention in its broader aspects applies to any adjustment between the plates of the condenser microphone whereby the capacitance of the condenser is affected. Thus I may use prevoiced reeds such as those shown in Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive. This consists in bending or otherwise forming the reed so as to afiect its vibration. The prevoicing of reeds is not new and is done in reed organs to give effects such as flute tones, shown in Fig. 5, a string tone, in Fig. 6, a clarinet tone, in Fig. '7, and a horn tone, in Fig. 8, but the use of a prevoiced reed as an element of a microphone condenser with an adjustable plate is new as far as I am aware. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 9 in which the reed is indicated at 18, a sup porting member at 19 and an adjustable plate 20, which is carried by an arm 2! slidable with respect to the supporting member 19 and secured in slidable position by means of the set screw 22.

So far I have discussed those instances in which the capacitance of the condenser is varied by elements having a fixed area variable distance arrangement. The same result might be attained by an arrangement in which there is a variable area fixed distance. Thus in Fig. 10 I have shown a condenser having as one element a reed 23 which has a portion 24 at one end thereof disposed adjacent to a plate 25 on the end of an arm 26 slidably movable with respect to a collar 21 on a support 28. Here the area of the end plates 24 and 25 is constant, but movement of I the one relative to the other and parallel with it will of course vary the inductive area and hence the capacitance of the condenser.

In Fig. 11 I have shown another form in which the reed 29 has a pair 01' plates 30 in inductive relation with the plates 3| on the opposite side of the condenser. This arrangement gives a greater capacity.

The forms of the device described above are intended to be only typical and the drawings show parts not in true proportions but exaggerated for the sake of clearness. For instance, in

Fig. 2 the reed is shown as at approximately the 3 end of its vibration as a whole in one direction,

and the curvature of portions of the reed is to indicate in general the segmental vibration by means of which the overtones are produced.

It will be noted that in the instrument as described above by the use of suction wind or any other means, any one of these reed components of the one side of this large condenser microphone may be put into vibration, or they may all be put into vibration, giving a one line resultant upon the grid of the first tube of the amplifier of the sum total of the movements of any of the reeds so put into agitation.

An instrument constructed according to my invention has numerous possibilities, but perhaps one of the most important uses is in the production of a high class inexpensive musicalinstrument different from the reed organ, but employing reeds as described. There are countless numbers of discriminate musicians who would like to nos sess pipe organs, but who cannot afford to buy such an instrument. A good pipe organ which might satisfy these musicians would take up a great deal of room, have a large number of stops, involve complicated and expensive mechanism, and require considerable power to operate it.

A musical instrument constructed as described above could be built for a fraction of the cost of a good pipe organ and the tones obtained would vie with the finest voiced pipes without a single suggestion of reed tones.

I claim:-

1. In a musical instrument, a microphone circuit having a condenser, said condenser consisting of a reed secured at one end, the remaining portion of the reed being free for unrestricted vibration, said reed forming one plate of the condenser and a second plate in inductive relation with respect to the reed.

2. In a musical instrument, a microphone circuit having a condenser, said condenser consisting of a prevoiced reed secured at one end, the remaining portion of the reed being free for unrestricted vibration, said reed forming one plate of the condenser, and a second plate in inductive relation with respect to the prevoiced reed.

3. In a musical instrument, a, microphone circuit having a' condenser, said condenser consisting of a reed secured at one end, the remaining portion of the reed being free for unrestricted vibration, said reed forming one plate of the condenser, and a'second plate adjustable with respect to the reed for varying the capacitance of the condenser.

,4. In a musical instrument, a microphone circuit having a condenser, said condenser consisting' oi a prevoiced reed forming one plate, and a second plate adjustable with respect to the prevoiced feed for varying the capacitance of the condenser.

' 5. In a musical instrument, a microphone circuit having a condenser, said condenser consisting of a reed forming one plate, and a second plate having a plurality of movable members independently adjustable with respect to difierent portions of the reed.

6. In a musical instrument, a microphone circuit having a condenser, said condenser consisting of a reed forming one plate and a second plate having a movable member adjustable with respect to different portions of the reed.

'7. In a musical instrument, a microphone circuit having a condenser, said condenser consisting of a reed forming one plate, and a second plate disposed in parallel position with respect to the reed and having plurality of members individually adjustable toward and away from the reed.

8. In a musical instrument, a microphone circuit having a condenser, said condenser consisting of a reed forming one plate,and a second plate disposed in parallel position with respect to the reed and having a plurality of members arranged in alinernent longitudinally of the reed and individually adjustable toward and away from the'reed;

9. In a musical instrument; a microphoneci'rcuit having a condenser, said condenser consist ing of a reed forming one plate,'and a second plate disposed inparallel position with respect to the reed and having a plurality of screws a'i ranged in alinement longitudinally of the reed and individually adjustable 'toward and away from the. reed.

10. A musical instrument comprising a microphone circuit including a series of reeds, each ofsaid reeds constituting a portion of one side of a condenser, a support, a plurality of metallic members carried by the support and individually adjustablg toward and away from said reeds, said adjustable members constituting the other side of a condenser, an amplifying circuit working in conjunction with said microphone circuit and means for causing the vibration of any of said reeds.

. 11. A musical instrument comprising a microphone circuit including a series of reeds, each of' said reeds constituting a portion of one side of a condenser, a support, a plurality of metallic members carried by the support and individually adjustable toward and away from said reeds, said adjustable members constituting the other side of a condenser, an amplifying circuit working in conjunction withsaid microphone circuit, and pneumatic means for causing the vibration of any of said reeds.

FREDERICK A. HOSCEKE. 

